St. Mary’s, Glasnevin and St. Louis High School, Rathmines
On Tuesday the 26th of January St. Mary’s and St. Louis joined together to celebrate Catholic Schools Week 2016. St. Mary’s students travelled to Rathmines accompanied by their R.E teachers, C. Murtagh and C. Coll.
As the theme for this year’s Catholic Schools Week was ‘Mercy’, we were mindful that all of the activities organised reflected this theme. The morning began with a talk from Team Hope. Rachel and Carol guided us through the work the charity carries out and how, behind it all is the strong belief that showing mercy to others is a way of putting faith into action. The students watched a video showing the joy brought to the children when they open the shoe boxes sent out to them before Christmas. This talk was included in the day to reflect the commitment of both schools to Development Education and to encourage our students to look outwards and take responsibility as global citizens.
Once the talk concluded, students and teachers from both schools enjoyed refreshments and discussed some of the issues raised by Team Hope. This was a wonderful opportunity for all involved to connect with and get to know other members of the Le Chéile community.
The day’s events concluded with a prayer service which was prepared by both schools in the weeks leading up to the event. Students presented symbols, read prayers and sang hymns all centred on the importance of mercy. Students also recounted the story of how the Holy Faith Order and the Sisters of St. Louis were first established. Sharing in this liturgy was a unique opportunity for two Le Chéile schools to come together in prayer, get to know one another and learn about the founding story of each school.
The day was a very enjoyable experience and something that we hope will be repeated on an annual basis. We are looking forward to hosting St. Louis students in Glasnevin next year. Sincere thanks to the Religion and Music departments in St. Louis for facilitating this wonderful Le Chéile School’s collaboration.
C. Murtagh
